Custom build for Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit

[Joe C]

My Windows 7 is running on a Skylake cpu, and I use an nvme hard drive with usb 3.1 ports. I was able to install the chipset drivers, the usb and nvme drivers from the Win-Raid web site to run Windows 7. Although I know you stated you did not want to do this, imho it would be best if you did for future uses.
https://www.win-raid.com/t834f25-USB-Drivers-original-and-modded.html

My system ancient by today's standard so getting the latest for yourself would probably be in your best interest.

I think that the day will come when you will be in the same position with Windows 7 as you are now with XP Pro. At some point browsers, antivirus...ect will stop supporting Windows 7. Now your looking at getting another pc to run Windows 7. Just get a new pc and put 7 on that, and if and when it comes time to be forced to upgrade your os, no matter if it is M$ or a *nix version, the pc should be able to handle it better

 

[TechnoChicken]

I mean, the i7 4790k (it could be the 4770?) is the most common cpu, period and should run win 7 like a boss (my 4th gen i5 runs win 7) so you sould be able to find that one pretty easy. (i found a few on ebay for around $150)

 

[PP Mguire]

I'm an XP Pro user. Love it, and been using it for 3+ years, with zero malware problem. I absolutely hate it that due to the crappy browsers, I must upgrade to Win 7. I don't like Win 7, but I dislike it way less than I detest Win 8/10, so I'll be using it until such time as I feel confidant to transition to MX Linux. Win 7 will be the last M$ rendition I'll ever be using. Period.

Basilisk actually runs better in XP from the Integral version than native browsers in Vista. Windows 7 will soon run into the same native experience as XP and Vista since it's EOL. Trying to piece together a 7 system is just moving that wall a little further out. If your plan is to never use 10 for whatever reason and just move to Linux then might as well do that now instead of wasting time and money.

Win 7 is not supported by the 'latest&greatest' components, so you will have to fool with workarounds:

https://www.anandtech.com/show/11182/how-to-get-ryzen-working-on-windows-7-x64

...which I'm not inclined to do, so I will be doing legacy parts.

Not a bad idea, but integrating drivers to work isn't really a big deal either. I will have to say I've had better luck with backported drivers for XP than I have with 7 though.

Still hoping for build advice. After further research I decided to focus on i7 CPUs, in the 3rd to 5th generation range. I'd like opinions on the 'pick of the litter'. Maybe after a CPU is decided on it will make motherboard choice easier. One can hope!

See the posts from Joe and Chicken.

My Windows 7 is running on a Skylake cpu, and I use an nvme hard drive with usb 3.1 ports. I was able to install the chipset drivers, the usb and nvme drivers from the Win-Raid web site to run Windows 7. Although I know you stated you did not want to do this, imho it would be best if you did for future uses.
https://www.win-raid.com/t834f25-USB-Drivers-original-and-modded.html

My system ancient by today's standard so getting the latest for yourself would probably be in your best interest.
View attachment 14045
I think that the day will come when you will be in the same position with Windows 7 as you are now with XP Pro. At some point browsers, antivirus...ect will stop supporting Windows 7. Now your looking at getting another pc to run Windows 7. Just get a new pc and put 7 on that, and if and when it comes time to be forced to upgrade your os, no matter if it is M$ or a *nix version, the pc should be able to handle it better

Rocket Lake (11th gen) will technically be the first Intel mainstream desktop chip not utilizing Skylake architecture. So I wouldn't say your system is ancient at all. My kid still plays all the newest stuff on SB-E.

I mean, the i7 4790k (it could be the 4770?) is the most common cpu, period and should run win 7 like a boss (my 4th gen i5 runs win 7) so you sould be able to find that one pretty easy. (i found a few on ebay for around $150)

i7 4770k, as the 4790k Devil's Canyon was an overclocked enthusiast 4770k. And yea, sooo many people used Haswell. In fact my NAS is still using Haswell-E.

On that note, my 11 year old is playing all the latest and greatest games on Sandy Bridge-E (3960x) and performance parity isn't too far from a 7800x outside of AVX2 performance so a 4770k would rock anything still really.

 

[TechnoChicken]

On that note, my 11 year old is playing all the latest and greatest games on Sandy Bridge-E (3960x) and performance parity isn't too far from a 7800x outside of AVX2 performance so a 4770k would rock anything still really.

If you throw a 1650s in there you would be surprised at what some of those old cpu's can do at 1080p

 

[PP Mguire]

If you throw a 1650s in there you would be surprised at what some of those old cpu's can do at 1080p

I actually have benchmarks of what an overclocked 2500k can do with an RTX 2080. He has a Titan XP paired with the 3960x and plays all the modern games with no issue at 1080p. I was able to grab 32GB of 1866 DDR3 offbrand for 60 bucks and he's set for a while yet. The whole idea behind the build was a Christmas present made entirely from spare parts besides the RAM.

 

[TechnoChicken]

I actually have benchmarks of what an overclocked 2500k can do with an RTX 2080. He has a Titan XP paired with the 3960x and plays all the modern games with no issue at 1080p. I was able to grab 32GB of 1866 DDR3 offbrand for 60 bucks and he's set for a while yet. The whole idea behind the build was a Christmas present made entirely from spare parts besides the RAM.

Ah yes, the 2500k, i heard you can get those things to over 5ghz with a decent cooler

 

[PP Mguire]

Ah yes, the 2500k, i heard you can get those things to over 5ghz with a decent cooler

The shitty Asus board I have, P67 Deluxe, will only do 4.9 stable under custom water. It's the same chip I managed 5.3 with on a Biostar board back in 2011 with a ghetto water cooling setup I scrapped together back in the day. Then it did 5.0 on a Rev 1 H50 until December 2011. Look at the VRM circuit on this thing and tell me why it can outpace the Asus....

 

[Joe C]

I've used a lot of Biostar boards in the past and they have always worked without any issues! I don't know why they get a bad rap unless they are just cheap boards?

 

[PP Mguire]

I've used a lot of Biostar boards in the past and they have always worked without any issues! I don't know why they get a bad rap unless they are just cheap boards?

Yea, they've always been cheap. My deal is, look at that VRM circuitry and then Google the Asus P67 Deluxe and tell me why it can't maintain the same clock speeds under a beefier water setup lol. I got that chip, board, and RAM for 150 bucks when they were practically just released because the guy moved to Mac. It was perfect until it was replaced. I have no beef with the Biostar, I mean it wasn't even ugly for being such a cheap board. In fact I wish I had it instead of the Asus considering it's looking like I'll need to move to the 2500k full time until I figure something out with my main PC.

 

[i8DRM]

My Windows 7 is running on a Skylake cpu, and I use an nvme hard drive with usb 3.1 ports. I was able to install the chipset drivers, the usb and nvme drivers from the Win-Raid web site to run Windows 7. Although I know you stated you did not want to do this, imho it would be best if you did for future uses.
https://www.win-raid.com/t834f25-USB-Drivers-original-and-modded.html

My system ancient by today's standard so getting the latest for yourself would probably be in your best interest.
View attachment 14045
I think that the day will come when you will be in the same position with Windows 7 as you are now with XP Pro. At some point browsers, antivirus...ect will stop supporting Windows 7. Now your looking at getting another pc to run Windows 7. Just get a new pc and put 7 on that, and if and when it comes time to be forced to upgrade your os, no matter if it is M$ or a *nix version, the pc should be able to handle it better

Right now the choice is between using the gawd-awful expensive CM Storm Trooper case I bought years ago, or sending it to the recycler. I have become aware over the last year of a marked tendency for 'hoarders syndrome', and I am now in the process of getting rid of everything not useful, or being used, or likely to be used. The case cost $250, and the cheapest recycler is $80, so $330 wasted if I ditch it. I am looking to see what the final cost will be if I do the build. Then I'll decide.

As mentioned, I am not interested in messing with workarounds to force the 'latest & greatest' components to play nice with Win 7. I am looking for the 'latest & last & best' components with native support for Win 7. Right now, preliminary research on Google indicates I need 3rd to 5th gen I7 CPU (or its AMD equivalent). That is a lot of models to filter, and I could use help to narrow down the choices. As for "future uses", there really are none for Win 7. I never liked Win 7, though I dislike it a lot less than I detest Win 10, and I'm only moving on from XP Pro out of necessity. I view Win 7 just as an interim OS, for use until I am comfortable enough with MX Linux to make the transition. Once I move on to exclusive Linux use, this build will have to be redone anyway, and parts chosen specifically for compatibility.